|

USD/JPY resting up at broken territory (112.00/20) ahead of BoJ

  • USD/JPY is currently trading at 112.20 between a range of 112.05 and 112.23, down from the overnight high of 112.39. 
  • USD/JPY was on the rampage overnight as investors weighed up the divergence between the U.S economy and that of the EU for which sent the DXY higher. 

On a lesser scale, US stocks may have contributed to some weakness in the yen, but figuring the S&P and NASDAQ were printing fresh highs, it's hardly the basis for Japanese pension fund repatriation. Its all down to dollar flows and considering the DXY basket is weighted to the yen by 13.6%, the second largest contributor, its not unusual to see large moves in the pair when the greenback is the driver and stops are triggered - in this case, through 112.10. 

Looking ahead, we have the BoJ and considering the thin markets, on a non-event there will be no action but should there be a significant surprise, the lack of liquidity could be a difficult trade one way or the other and large swings could be on the cards. Traders are more likely to wait to get involved with US data on the cards this week with the main event coming in as US GDP.

"We expect GDP to advance 2.3% q/q saar in Q1, largely keeping with the economy’s Q4 pace. Despite a notable slowdown in consumer spending, we anticipate an offsetting shift from negative to positive contributions for net exports and government spending. Notably, residential investment likely contributed positively to growth for the first time since 2017," analysts at TD Securities explained.

USD/JPY levels

Meanwhile, from a technical point of view, the USD/JPY pair was ending the well above a still flat 20 SMA in the 4 hours chart and above its recent highs, as noted by Valeria Bednarik, the Chief Analyst at FXStreet:

"Technical indicators in the mentioned chart have left the neutral territory, offering strong upward slopes within positive ground, somehow anticipating additional gains ahead. In the mentioned chart, the pair bounced from the 100 SMA, which loses upward momentum but keeps providing an intraday support at around 111.60."

Author

Ross J Burland

Ross J Burland, born in England, UK, is a sportsman at heart. He played Rugby and Judo for his county, Kent and the South East of England Rugby team.

More from Ross J Burland
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD retakes 1.1800 on renewed USD weakness

EUR/USD gains ground after three days of losses, re-attempting 1.1800in the European trading hours on Thursday. The US Dollar sees fresh selling interest across the board, despite hawkish Fed Minutes, as the market mood improves and supports the pair. US Jobless Claims data, Fedspeak and geopolitics remain in focus. 

GBP/USD recovers above 1.3500 amid better mood

GBP/USD finds fresh demand and rises back above 1.3500 in the European session on Thursday. Improving risk sentiment and renewed US Dollar weakness are helping the pair recover ground ahead of mid-tier US data releases and Fedspeak. 

Gold clings to gains above $5,000 amid safe-haven flows and Fed rate cut bets

Gold sticks to modest intraday gains, above the $5,000 psychological mark, through the first half of the European session, though it lacks bullish conviction amid mixed cues. The third round of US-mediated negotiations between Ukraine and Russia concluded in Geneva on Wednesday without any major breakthrough.

Injective token surges over 13% following the approval of the mainnet upgrade proposal

Injective price rallies over 13% on Thursday after the network confirmed the approval of its IIP-619 proposal. The green light for the mainnet upgrade has boosted traders’ sentiment, as the upgrade aims to scale Injective’s real-time Ethereum Virtual Machine architecture and enhance its capabilities to support next-generation payments. The technical outlook suggests further gains if INJ breaks above key resistance.

Hawkish Fed minutes and a market finding its footing

It was green across the board for US Stock market indexes at the close on Wednesday, with most S&P 500 names ending higher, adding 38 points (0.6%) to 6,881 overall. At the GICS sector level, energy led gains, followed by technology and consumer discretionary, while utilities and real estate posted the largest losses.

Injective token surges over 13% following the approval of the mainnet upgrade proposal

Injective price rallies over 13% on Thursday after the network confirmed the approval of its IIP-619 proposal. The green light for the mainnet upgrade has boosted traders’ sentiment, as the upgrade aims to scale Injective’s real-time Ethereum Virtual Machine architecture and enhance its capabilities to support next-generation payments.